The world's first directional soundbar made for everyday at-home use.
Founder(s) name: Ahsan Arifeen
Company Name: Fyrefly
Industry Sector: Consumer Audio
Our Brand/Product: Introducing BEAM by Fyrefly - The world's first directional soundbar made for everyday at-home use. Designed for the desktop workspace with students and creatives in mind, the BEAM is a soundbar that sits comfortably under your monitor, projecting a sculpted ray of audio directly at your head. Users simply walk into the area of effect to experience BEAM's directional audio cast. It allows you to stay in your focus zone without the need for uncomfortable headphones, large bulky speakers or distracting those around you. Audio that finds you, so you can find your focus.
Our Story: As a student, spending long hours at a desk on a computer and wearing headphones/earphones has been almost a ritual activity for me. I've always disliked headphones for work, due to them being large, clunky and easily leading to ear fatigue and sweating which can make using them for long hours incredibly uncomfortable. For a while, I considered switching to freestanding desktop speakers to maintain the experience without the burden of headphones, but the problem here was they could be distracting to others when instead, the audio was only meant for me.
Traditional speakers were not made for the desk-top setup, they weren't made for the student, the remote worker or even the at-home creative.
So I started to ask myself: "Why can't there be a product that combined the functional privacy of headphones, with the sleek and reliable nature of soundbar loudspeakers?" An incredible gap in the market was thus revealed to me - such technology has always been reserved for utilitarian, install-only applications such as in museums and exhibitions. I decided to bring to market the first directional soundbar for everyday at-home use. Made for students and creatives, by someone who is also a student and creative.
To date, progress on an MVP has proven to be promising, with an equal focus on function and form. I have also carried out extensive market research with feedback being incredibly positive, from both students and creative minds alike.
Next Phase: The timing is right, and the market is shifting with a current steep rise in hybrid tech, personalised audio and products made for solo study. Paired with the invaluable resources available to me at Elevate, I hope to make the most of working alongside industry leaders, engineering and design talent and the very university community I believe perfectly fits my target demographic. With the right network, I hope the programme will help me to educate people about the product, refine my business model, search for funding and take the essential steps to make Fyrefly a business that will grow and develop.
Furthermore, going from MVP to a household name will need more than just a solo effort, so I hope during this time I can also meet or at least work towards finding a co-founder to share the journey with me.
With time and a collective vision, I know Fyrefly has the potential to be the comprehensive, holistic brand which every creative can turn to for audio.
Get Involved: I am currently seeking an investment of £30,000 to finalise my MVP and launch a limited run of around 300 units across the UK to introduce the product to early adopters and lay the scaffolding for future growth.
The breakdown is as follows:
- Development - £7,500 - This will consist of Research and Development (R&D) and additional prototyping costs, this segment of costs will happen extremely early on in the year, as it is focused on actually developing, testing and creating the product that Fyrefly will go on to sell.
- Manufacturing and Fulfilment - £15,000 - This is based on the cost to manufacture each unit as well as packaging and fulfillment of the limited test run.
- Marketing - £7,500 - This is based on creator collaborations and paid ads, I will not need to spend any money on promo videos, demo content or branding since I have the technical skills needed to do this myself.
Contact Details
Email: ahsan@fyrefly.uk
Phone: 07368997939
View Ahsan Arifeen's LinkedIn Profile